Alumni Spotlight: Chris Clark
Tell us about yourself. What do you do?
I’m a 2012 graduate from the School of Architecture. After working as a college intern and later a full-time position for a large firm in Kansas City, my wife (Bailey) and I moved to Wichita to pursue other opportunities. While we planned to start a family, neither of us predicted that we’d also end up starting a business while still in our twenties. Six years later, Clarkitecture is still going strong with just the two of us. We design what we call “Buildings That Mean Business” due to our markets’ focus on the economics of each project. We specialize in commercial development which includes the restaurant, retail and office markets. In 2021, Bailey and I relocated to Pensacola, FL, and opened Clarkitecture’s second office there.
What led you to this profession or why did you choose it?
My career choice was probably cemented somewhere around age five… As my LEGO collection grew, so did the clarity of what my future professional life would look like. I had a lot of strong interests as a kid, ranging from baseball to fishing to dinosaurs. In elementary school, I had the great opportunity to participate in an extracurricular program called ASPIRE that introduced me to paleontology in third grade. I thought it couldn’t get any better than digging up fossils until I learned how to draw buildings in 3D. In hindsight, axonometrics and perspectives were probably an odd thing for a ten-year-old to be obsessed with, but I sure thought it was cool. From there I slowly learned CAD, woodworking skills, and all those sorts of things that are on the perimeter of architecture. Some of my high school teachers tried to persuade me to go down the engineering route but I really preferred the artistically creative side of architecture and felt like it would be more “hands-on” than engineering.
What does a typical day look like at your job?
One of the best parts of my job is that I don’t really have a typical day. On Monday, I may be focused on business development and marketing; Tuesday, answering phone calls from contractors; Wednesday, creating construction documents in Revit; Thursday, visiting suppliers and showrooms to select materials; and Friday, traveling to visit a jobsite or look at an existing building with a client. I have the unique opportunity to experience every aspect of the business of architecture—much of which isn’t learned in school!
What is a favorite project you have worked on and why?
We’ve had a lot of really unique project types but I will always have a special place in my heart for Clarkitecture’s first project. It was a relatively small and simple multi-tenant retail project near Wichita, but I learned so much while working on it—including what to do and what not to do. Without the safety harness of a senior partner or larger firm behind me, there were many times I nervously held my breath, afraid that I had messed up something, but [just about] everything turned out well. We also fortunately had a client who gave us creative freedom and later turned out to be one of our best repeat clients. That project opened a lot of doors in terms of organic business relationships.
What advice would you give your college self?
I owe so much of where I am today to my college experience that I honestly wouldn’t change much. Like many architecture students, I had a lot of stressful late nights obsessing over what were probably meaningless details of studio projects. In hindsight, I would tell my college self to focus on the big picture and let the rest take care of itself. It took me awhile to comprehend the difference between working hard and working smart—and I truly believe that’s the key to unlocking a healthy balance between a strong work ethic and enjoying all the other aspects of the KU experience. Those include sporting events, Greek life, student organizations and of course developing lifelong friendships—there’s so much more than just studio.
What makes you proud to be a KU Alumni?
The University of Kansas and the School of Architecture both have so many intangible benefits that you have to experience to appreciate. As an alumni, I really do feel like I’m part of a tradition that dates back many generations. Having met hundreds (if not thousands) of students and graduates from other architecture schools around the world, there’s something special that always stands out about KU grads. The students, the faculty, the friendships and even the campus environment all left such unforgettable imprints in memory which bring back a wave of nostalgia every time I step foot on Jayhawk Boulevard. No matter how much I cheer on the Chiefs and the Royals, they’ll always be a step below Jayhawk basketball in my book. There’s really nothing quite like it, especially the Allen Fieldhouse experience.